The Power of Intelligence
by phineas81707
Summary: Without an adult to turn to, Lisa is cast away from her home, accompanied by only Maggie. Finding a special school for the gifted, Lisa is given lodgings as she awaits her comeuppance... on C.M. Burns.
1. Lisa's Fate

Lisa fell into her rocking chair. Maggie wandered up to her, not falling over at all this time.

"Hello, Maggie. Sorry… I can't play with you today. I have so many things to worry about."

*Knock* *Knock*

"Now who could that be? Maggie, are we expecting visitors?" Lisa asked. Maggie shrugged. She couldn't talk. The burden of supporting them had taken their toll on Lisa, and she was close to insane.

* * *

"Police Chief Wiggum! What brings you here?" Lisa exclaimed.

"Eh, sorry to bother you, Miss Simpson, but the fact is… well… we might as well sit down." Lisa showed Wiggum to the living room, and sat down on Homer's old couch.

"OK, Lisa, you see, the thing is… Marge is put away for 20 years, if she's lucky. Judge Harm was very tight on drug peddling. And we've found out Homer's in a Nevadan prison, with no way of coming back to Springfield."

"So what does that mean for us…" Lisa asked, her hands shaking.

"Well, we have to start seizing the criminals possessions. I don't make the laws, I just… something with them. Because I'm a good guy, I'll tell you what. I'll let you keep what you want. But sadly, the house isn't up for negotiation."

"But… where will we go?"

"I'm sorry Lisa, but we haven't got anywhere for you to turn. I know, we should, because it's close to illegal to kick you out of your house without compensation… Ooh! What's that outside?" Wiggum was distracted from his apology by a yellow car moving along the road.

* * *

"One hundred thousand dollars!" Mr Burns called.

"Do I hear a new bid? Going once? Going twice? Sold, to number 000!"

"Aha! I'm richer than you all!" Mr Burns taunted.

"Ooh! Burns! How much I hate him!" Lisa shook, before sighing. Bundling up her rag around her shoulders, she took Maggie and left, wandering in search of a place to live.

**Exceptionally, painfully short... but this ending was too good to pass up.**

**So yeah, I'm trying to redo my old _Tale of Two Geniuses_ story. The ending of one of the Simpsons' many episodes (specifically _We're On the Road To D'ohwhere_) gave a vibe that could really help this story... I hope.**

**Yes, this is _TOTG_, even if it has a different plotline. The original lacked a direction. I hope this one doesn't.**

**...Wait, I have to do a signoff?**


	2. Lieflijk Appears

Maggie wandered away from Lisa, and put her hands on a van parked outside of Springfield Elementary.

"Maggie, what is it?" Lisa asked. Naturally, Maggie elected not to answer with words, but with actions. She gestured to the van's label. _Lieflijk's College for the Creatively Gifted._

"What does this have to do with anything?" Lisa asked pragmatically. Maggie pointed to the school, where the vague sounds of a special lecturer echoed.

"Maggie, that's it! Thank you!" Lisa took her backpack, and pulled out two cups and a string, fashioning a makeshift phone.

"Now, Maggie, grab this, and climb up to that voice." Maggie saluted, and ascended the school.

* * *

"And that is how Lieflijk's College differs from regular school. Any questions?" the voice stated. Apparently, the speech had just ended.

"Um, Miss Hoover, there's a baby on the ledge!" Ralph stated. Miss Hoover growled, and looked at the ledge to find Maggie.

"What is this child doing here?" she asked.

"Aw, she's so cute!" one of the girls stated.

"She looks like Lisa's sister…" Janey followed.

"I have this… is anybody down there?" the lecturer questioned.

"Yeah… my name is Lisa Simpson. I was recently kicked out of my home, and-"

"And you made this makeshift phone to listen in on this speech? Wow. Ingenious. Listen, is there anyone else like you at this school?"

"Doubt it."

"Come with me to the van. And bring your little baby, too."

* * *

"OK, Lisa. Let me explain. I am a humble woman, eager to encourage society's most needed trait. One that isn't so readily available," Miss Lieflijk explained. She was a young woman, wearing a yellow sundress. Whatever Lisa expected of the lecturer, this wasn't it.

"OK, Miss Lieflijk. I get this. But why do you think I should be here?" Lisa asked. She was seated in the passenger seat of the van.

"That trait is creativity. Ingenuity. Imagination. Instead of walking straight to class, which should have led to certain failure, you used your little sister and this wonderful device to eavesdrop. Lisa, I feel like you are one of the best students for the school!"

"Thank you, Miss Lieflijk. But I have no money. No home."

"Call me Bethany, dear. And you can stay on campus free of charge. Society is driven by materialistic desire. What we need is the haves to give to the have nots."

"Of course… Bethany." Lisa was ecstatic. At long last, she had a home, a woman that could look after her and Maggie, and a school which suited her needs.

What more could she want?

**Another short chapter, but I want the different portions in different chapters. As I start to get into more complicated elements, these chapters might get longer. But... at least stories start slow.**

**Remember, _Sunny With A Chance Of Thunderstorms _will be a while. Until I finish my English.**

**If anybody wants me, I'll be in my room.**


	3. First Day Home

"So, here we are, Lisa!" Bethany gestured. Lisa looked around oddly. The room was empty.

"Sorry about that. I didn't expect to find a girl like you, so I didn't have a room prepared. I can get started on that soon."

"Now I wish I hadn't abandoned the bed," Lisa sighed. The bed wouldn't have fit inside the backpack anyway.

"Abandoned the bed? Lisa, what happened?"

"When I got kicked out of my house, Chief Wiggum let me keep whatever I wanted. I couldn't realistically keep my old bed."

"Aw… honey, I'll get you one back. Just let me know what it looked like."

Lisa explained what her bed looked like, and as a quick additional note, what kind of shelves she was used to. She doubted Bethany could retrieve her old gear.

* * *

She was surprised when Bethany came back with the exact same bed, and the same shelves, too.

"Wow… how did you get these?"

"With a little imagination, nothing is too hard!" Bethany said cheerily. Lisa opened her bag, and started pulling out all of her stuff to put onto the shelves.

"Now, you and Maggie are free to wander campus today. If you don't mind, I've got to get some paperwork done…"

* * *

Bethany arrived back in Springfield Police Station, and walked up the stairs.

"I'm looking for a Chief Wiggum?" she asked Lou.

"Whoa, whoa, girl… Chief Wiggum does not see others without an appointment."

"I wanted to talk to him about Lisa."

"Let her in, Lou! I wanted to talk about Lisa too."

* * *

"Chief Wiggum, first of all, thank you for letting Lisa keep her old things."

"Ah, my boy once loved Lisa. And I wouldn't be a very nice man if I didn't help Lisa after what happened to her parents."

"Oh my… did they pass on?"

"No, no no… her father was arrested for… what was it… fighting a pit boss, or something? And her mother was arrested for dealing drugs."

"...Any siblings?"

"Yeah. Two. She's got a baby sister, which I think you'd've met, and also an older brother. We have no idea where he is."

"…Alright, I'd like to meet Lisa's mother."

* * *

Lisa's mother, Marge, was curled up in one corner of her cell. Bethany came in, and sat on the bench across her.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Bethany Lieflijk. I run a country-wide school for the gifted, but enough about that. I came in here to ask one question: can I adopt your daughters?"

"What? No! Not my babies!" Marge started to panic. "I wasn't even a drug dealer! It was just a yard sale! You've taken my family from me! Don't… please!"

"Whoa, settle down, Marge…" Bethany cooed, placing her hands on Marge's shoulders, and seated her back down. "I didn't think you'd take it that badly…"

"Well… I was right. I wasn't a drug dealer. I was taking advantage of Homer and Bart being gone by selling their old stuff. How was I supposed to know their old medicines were illegal to sell?" Marge rambled. Bethany nodded.

"Chief?"

"I believe Marge attempted this defence in court, and Judge Harm invoked a saying like… '_Ignorantia juris non excusat_'? Whatever it means, it was a legal term that means Marge can get locked in here. And the chance for bail has since been revoked."

"That doesn't sound right!"

"Yeah, not really… but I can't do a thing about it. Now, Marge… I know this sounds crazy, but I think you should give Miss Lieflijk here your children. If not through adoption, then at least by guardianship."

"…You know… I don't think I have much choice here… Miss Lieflijk, can I trust you with Lisa and Maggie?"

"Yes. They trust me, and I them."

"…Miss Lieflijk… you have their guardianship rights. See that they get what they deserve… because I can't…" Marge dissolved into sobs.

"…I promise you, Marge. I will keep your daughters safe even if it's the last thing I ever do!"

"…Thank you."

* * *

"Good morning, girls!" Bethany called, coming in after a long sleep for all of them.

"Good morning. What did you need to do last night?"

"I got official guardianship rights. As of last night, I am now in charge of keeping you safe and healthy," Bethany explained.

"Wow… thank you…"

"Now, my wards… I should probably explain everything on campus. We've got a bit to wait before school officially starts.

* * *

The first room was the R&D Centre. Lined up were several computers, and stacks of books on a variety of topics. R&D stood for Research and Development, meaning this was quite clearly mostly for cross reference.

The second room was the Target Room. It was basically full of blueprint paper, allowing students to sketch up and edit plans for constructions.

The third room was the Nuts & Bolts Room. In this room, any physical production that was necessary could be undertaken. Lisa could quite clearly see space for at least twenty large-ish products to fit quite comfortably. Bethany sure knew how to make a school this creative in concept not fall on its face by simple physics.

The fourth room was the Beta Room. There were several contraptions spread about that made it ideal for testing anything you could ever want. Need to test something that wasn't here? Room for that, too.

The fifth room quite surprised Lisa, and was the final nail in the coffin of the idea that Bethany was floundering about in idealism. The fifth room, entitled the Scribble Room, was quite clearly aimed at artists. Several easels, just about anything you could draw with, and a corner arranged for sculpting.

The sixth room was the Plotting Room. It was entirely devoted to being able to write. Pads of paper, a printer that was designed with manuscripts in mind, and even several portable computers.

"So, my dear… what do you think?"

"…Wake me up. I'm sure I'm dreaming."

"Well, believe it or not, you aren't! It took me a year and a half, but I have the funding for this thing." Lisa started to hug Bethany.

"Yes… well… time to get practicing!"

* * *

"Welcome, my students. You have all been identified as being simply creative students, and plenty bright. So… here at Lieflijk's College for the Creatively Gifted, we support learning at one's own pace. Get to it!"

Several of the students ran off, leaving Lisa and Maggie with a trio of two boys and a girl.

"Well, Phineas… what do you want to do today?" the girl asked flirtatiously. The boy called Phineas looked around, as if unnerved, before running off.

"Darn. I knew I shouldn't have tried that!" the girl sighed.

"Hello. What are your names?" Lisa asked, mostly to divert attention from her worries about the girl.

"Oh, hello. My name is Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, and this is Ferb Fletcher. The boy you may have saw run off was Phineas Flynn, my b-friend."

"Hello, Isabella. My name is Lisa Simpson, and this is my baby sister Maggie."

"Aw, she's so cute! I hope me an-I have a child that cute someday!"

"…OK, now you're starting to scare me. Why are you cutting yourself off?"

"…I have a crush on Phineas."

"And he's scared of you because…?"

"I've had this crush since I was very little. Every time we touch… I get this feeling. Every time he opens his mouth, I get carried away. I just can't focus on him long enough to know how to get to him. It doesn't help that he's the most oblivious boy on the planet oh hi Phineas! Whatcha doin'?"

"Wow… that was fast…" Lisa said.

"Get used to it."

**Finally, a long chapter of this thing. Now we're cooking with gas!**

**And also, _Ignorantia juris non __excusat _is a thing. Everything else is probably not, because of _Ignorantia juris non __excusat, _but Marge needs to not be in the story.**

**There's one more expository chapter left, or at the very least a setting up chapter, before we get going. Don't worry, there will be more action than this time.**

**If anybody wants me, I'll be in my room, writing.**


	4. You Only Run Twice

_Homer sat down at the dealer's table, prepared to play a round of poker. Bart wandered off, looking for a different game to con. He spared a glance at Homer every now and then. Dude was winning a pile of chips. Just before he hit the roulette table, he heard Homer's scream._

_A pit boss had him on a headlock on the table. Bart saw Homer's hand: a Royal Flush of spades. He glanced at one of the competitors hands: another Jack of Spades. Homer got caught! Bart fled the casino, and into the shadows._

* * *

Bart panted. He had been running for hours, and was sure to be in a new state by now. He was disoriented from his run, and hoped that he was close to Springfield. He stumbled into a garden… filled with a variety of exotic wildlife.

"Cool… I wonder where this place is," he said, before several security systems went haywire. Bart looked around, panicked, before the security shut down. Instead, two faceless goons walked up to him, and extended their arms.

"Your name is Bart, correct?"

"How did you know?"

"Our boss knows all."

* * *

"Bart Simpson! Just the man I was hoping to meet. Well, not actually the man, but close enough!"

"What? Where am I?" Bart asked.

"Bart Simpson, I would like to welcome you to… the Globex Corporation! I am its leader, Hank Scorpio!"

"Hey, I remember you! Didn't Dad work in your company for a while?"

"Yes, actually. He was who I was hoping for, but I suppose the son would be just as good."

"What? What are you planning?"

"Well, boy, I'm going to be straight with you. I am bent on world domination, one step at a time. But I got set back quite a long way. I want you to help me once again realise my dream. Can you do that?"

"You bet I can."

* * *

Isabella wandered away from the brothers and sisters. She needed some time to think. She didn't expect Lisa to be stealing Phineas, but you could never tell sometimes. She eventually came across a room that she wasn't familiar with from the briefing.

_LISA SIMPSON_

_& MAGGIE_

Isabella shrugged, and entered the room. She let out a gasp. Inside was what looked like a bedroom. In one corner was the obvious bed, with a smaller one to one side. On the walls were several pictures, some hand drawn, and some different. However, it was one framed photo that caught her attention. On top of a dresser, she saw a portrait of five people. Lisa and Maggie were instantly recognisable.

"Is this her family?" Isabella asked. She looked at the others. A tall, fat, balding man, presumably her father. A woman with a tall hairdo, most likely her mother. And there was a boy, about Lisa's age, with blond spiky hair and a glint in his eye that spelled mischief, in the picture as well.

"She had a brother? What happened to this family?" Isabella looked under the portrait, and found a sheet of paper containing a list.

_-Homer: Fought pit boss in Las Vegas. In Nevada jail_

_-Marge: Found dealing drugs in yard sale. In jail without parole._

_-Bart: Missing. Last seen with Homer._

_-Lisa: Evicted from home. Living under the guardianship of Bethany._

_-Maggie: Same as Lisa._

"Oh my…"

"Finished looking?" a voice asked. Isabella jumped, and turned around. It was Lisa.

"Sorry…"

"…Nah, it's fine. Just tell me when you're coming in here next time. And I see you've met the family."

"Your family was torn apart by crime…" Isabella began to cry.

"Knock it off, Isabella. If anyone should be crying, it's me. I'm the one without the family."

"I'm sorry… just… it's such a bad thought."

"Yeah. I miss them too. Even Dad. I've been trying to locate Bart, but no luck."

"I know what we're going to do today."

* * *

"So Phineas, that's what happened to her," Isabella elaborated. Phineas nodded, and Ferb clicked his pen, having finished taking notes.

"Whatcha got there, Ferb?"

"We're going to need a baseline." Lisa pulled a picture of Bart alone out of her bag.

"How long will it take?"

"Well, tracking technology has never succeeded without the actual subject being near the tracker at least once, so… give us an hour or two."

**Short, but what chapter of this isn't?**

**Remember when I said this was darker? I mostly meant Bart's flight. I wasn't going to discuss Lisa, but I ran out of Bart stuff.**

**I have a general idea of where we're going, but not how we're going to get there. Next chapter will introduce a conflict.**

**If anybody wants me, I'll be in my room, writing.**


	5. Burn on Burns

"And done. Presenting… the Tracker Ray! Just place a picture of who you want to look for, and the tracker will tell you where it is!" Phineas explained.

"Why couldn't you just bring it here?"

"We tried that once. We brought Ferb's grandfather's feet back by accident. Don't want it to happen again. After all, you've only given us a midshot."

"Stop right there!" an old man said. Bethany looked over her shoulder, as did the five children. The old man kicked the gate. The gate remained firmly shut.

"Smithers…" the man sighed. Smithers lightly tapped the gate, moving it aside.

"Good god, man, stop making me feel bad… anyway, young girl, I'm afraid this place is mine!"

"A) Who are you, and B) What are you talking about?" Bethany steamed.

"I? I am Charles Montgomery Burns, and you will be ceding this school to me for the paltry sum of… one hundred thousand dollars?" Mr Burns looked directly at Lisa. Lisa became incensed.

"Mr Burns, get out of my LIFE! You've caused nothing but trouble to my entire family! You're polluting the environment with your toxic chemicals! You should have died when Maggie shot you. It would have done the world a service," Lisa let out her tirade.

"Lisa!" Bethany exclaimed. It surprised her to hear her ward say things so callously.

"I'll handle this… shut up, little girl. I am the richest man in the US of A, and I want this school to level down into a second power plant!"

"OK, Burns. You have crossed a line. Get out of my school!" Bethany said. Mr Burns jumped back in shock, before leaving with a "I'll be back!"

"Lisa, are you alright?"

"Ah, my head…"

* * *

"Lisa… Lisa, wake up!" Phineas called out.

"I'm up," Lisa said, sitting bolt upright. She reached for her little sister, and drew her in close.

"Phew… you had us going there. Just who was that man?" Phineas asked. Lisa put Maggie in Ferb's arms, and went to gaze out the window.

"Montgomery Burns… the heartless tycoon at the top of Springfield. It is said that hatred and fear keep him alive. He is certainly heartless enough to need a different way to survive. And Maggie, despite the fact it was accidental, was thoroughly justified in shooting Mr Burns based on the events of a short week alone."

"So, basically… I'm not buying it. Sorry, but could someone really be that evil?"

"*Sigh*… I'll tell you the tale. It all began-"

* * *

The hunched over scientist snarled. He had just been defeated by a platypus for the jillionth time. He scrambled over to the pieces of his invention, only to be interrupted by Norm.

"Hey, Dr D. You have a call from a Mr No Name Given."

"Ah, well, put him on already!" Norm's face opened, and from inside him came a television. Displayed clearly on the television was the face of a young boy with spiky yellow hair.

"Greetings, Dr Duffenshmertz-"

"Doofenshmirtz."

"Whatever. I've been informed you are scientist bent on world domination-"

"Actually, just the Tri-State Area. I've failed at that alone."

"Interrupt again, and you'll find your building turned to scrap metal. Anyway, you are now a worker for Globex Corporation."

"Hey, I didn't agree to this!"

"We are kind to our workers. Scorpio has never mistreated one yet. We'll even sort out your monotreme troubles."

Doofenshmirtz mulled it over.

"No. Absolutely, unequivocally, NO!"

"You do not have a choice." Norm closed his face, and grabbed Dr Doofenshmirtz. He flew him off to the Globex Corporation.

* * *

"And they acquitted her because no state would convict a baby. Except maybe Texas."

"Wow… but wait, how did you know about all those parts you weren't there for?"

"I don't know. But now you know Mr Burns at his worst. And I severely doubt this is much better than then."

"Um, my ward… I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's time for Phineas, Ferb and Isabella to go home."

"Oh, sure, go ahead. See you tomorrow."

"We will."

* * *

"So, what did you think of Lisa's story?"

"It was really quite tear-jerking. It really makes me think twice about my relationship with my mother," Isabella said.

"Yeah, same thing here. But what about Mr Burns?"

"He certainly seems evil enough, and even though there may be an exaggeration of sorts, there are parts of her story that add up. The tale about the search for Mr Burns' shooter was well made, and even if it wasn't, I think Mr Burns did buy her home."

"Lighten up back there, kids. You guys are too little to have to worry about things that big," Linda said.

"Lisa is younger still. She's eight, right?"

"Definitely."

"Well, it'd be nice to invite her over. Welcome her to our collective family," Vivian said.

"Wait, when were we the same family?" Phineas asked. Everyone rolled their eyes.

* * *

Lisa pulled out a small book from her backpack.

"When did I pick this up?" she flicked through it. She began to absorb the information within it, before finally throwing it away.

"My goddess, that couldn't have been more boring," Lisa stated. "What a waste of paper." She rolled over into her sheets, and finally went to sleep.

* * *

"Welcome to Globex Corporation. Sorry about the boy. He's taking his role in this a little bit rough. But here, we don't believe in the word 'boss'. Sure, I come in earlier than you, I'm paid more, and I get more leave, but I don't like being called 'boss'."

"Wow. You are a nice guy."

"Well, here at Globex Corporation, we strive to be as productive as my friends will go without complaining. You are one of the few people that knows our true intentions."

"Uh huh."

"So, see if you can't get our productivity up. We have a world to conquer!"

**Setting up plots (setting up plots) Hope I remember them (hope I remember them) Do I really want to work on this a lot (do I really want to work on this a lot) come the end of Kalos (come the end of Kalos)**

**Sounding less like a mindless miner, I do have plenty of ways to go, and I do kind of want to shove a lot of it into these minor updates. It might even make sense from a story standpoint to continue sporadic updates after Pokemon is over. Probably because rarity = effort or something.**

**The book Lisa browses through is something to be covered later. It's not a big thing, but I should mention it.**

**If anybody wants me, I'll be in my room, writing.**


End file.
